kantors in quarantine - june 30

A walk around their crescent with Nanny and Grandpa followed by freezies in the backyard. With no big things planned this summer, we're going to be appreciating a lot of little things.

kantors in quarantine - june 29

Little Leo, at almost-20-months, doesn't have a lot of words to say. He might try out a sound or two once in a while but communicates mostly by pointing or grunting with the rest of us scrambling around, trying to figure out what he wants/needs/hates/is fascinated by. For the last few days, Leo has been having pretty big meltdowns whenever we put him in his high chair and try to clamp down the tray. He would be hungry, it's mealtime, we're all sitting down to eat, everything seems to be fine... but as soon as we click his buckles or hover the tray overhead to get it into position, a huge freak out would begin. So this morning, same deal. But with a few more grunts and points, the kids and I happened on this... he hates the stupid tray (okay he didn't say "stupid" but we got the message) and wants to sit at the table like a big boy and feed himself and could we all stop treating him like a baby, please?

Okay. Message received. But it would be a lot easier if he would just tell us this in the first place.

kantors in quarantine - june 28

David and I enjoyed a night of fine dining, right in our own kitchen. Joe, with some help from Henry and Annie, prepared for us a three course feast... Asian Fried Eggs, followed by Hoisin Chicken Lettuce Cups, with Peach and Almond Alaska for dessert. An extra special feature of this restaurant was the lounging station with pillows and blankets on the floor, where you could comfortably await your next course.

We give this establishment all our thumbs up and one-million stars.

kantors in quarantine - june 27

A sweet day, start to finish. Joe treated everyone to some breakfast doughnuts, and we ended the day with s'mores at the Dhas'. And an extra special sweet treat... check out all that hair on those four boys.

kantors in quarantine - june 26

School is out.

Praise. The. Lord.


























They did it. We did it. We're done. I'm really proud of them.

kantors in quarantine - june 25

Henry needed some paper mâché for a school assignment and I made way too much paste. Not to worry. Annie to the rescue. She made a paper mâché giraffe, to go with her crafty giraffe collection.

kantors in quarantine - june 24

School. I've been here three days in a row, picking up each of the kids' school books and shoes and anything else left in desks. These were quick stops, little chit-chats with and thank yous for the teachers, feeling like an inadequate good bye to a bizarre and challenging school year. We don't know what school in the fall will look like. And, right now, we don't care. We just want some summer days.

kantors in quarantine - june 23

Well this made everyone's day today. The music on this truck was particularly loud and beckoned us from all corners of the house.

kantors in quarantine - june 22

A walk along Lake Ontario today. "Along." Not "in," Leo.

kantors in quarantine - june 21

Happy Father's Day! We had a fun, full, really warm day. We celebrated David with a big brunch, a new hammock, tv Church, naps (Leo and David), a hike to visit chipmunks and a muskrat and the teeny-tiniest little frog, milkshakes, and water balloons. We're so lucky to have a good dad.

kantors in quarantine - june 20

Strawberries! Straight from our garden. It doesn't look like much, but it's the biggest crop of the biggest strawberries we've ever grown. Breakfast was good today.

kantors in quarantine - june 19

We went to Church today! For the first time since March 14, we attended a live Mass, and it was good. Our Churches have opened this week, allowing 30% capacity. As we ease into returning to Church, we decided to try out some week day Masses to see how crowded it would be and how the kids would do with keeping their masks on. The answer: so far, so great. There was plenty of space and everyone stayed covered up... even Annie, who sneezed in her mask. We'll keep up our routine of online Sunday Masses for a while but go meet Jesus at the less-busy weekday Masses. It's a good start.

kantors in quarantine - june 18

Happy Birthday, Joshie! We had a nice backyard visit today with ice cream treats, hide-and-seek, beautiful flowers, and Covid hair. We're happy to celebrate our nephew and cousin, and extra happy to get out and see family.

kantors in quarantine - june 17

Annie invented a board game. If you like a combination of hide-and-seek, Pictionary, scavenger hunts, and Snakes and Ladders, then this one is for you.

kantors in quarantine - june 16

I finished a quilt... one year late. Happy Graduation... 2019!

It's pretty simple so, looking at it, I'm not sure why it took me a full year to put together. But I wanted this quilt to reflect the Divine Mercy image, so it took some thinking and imagining and maybe it's not totally what I hoped for... but it's cozy and happy and (and done!) and so I am glad.

kantors in quarantine - june 15

Today we ate watermelon. This is the riveting stuff that keeps our readers coming back.

But we did some other stuff, too. We had a pretty social day, actually. Annie played with a neighbour friend on our front porch, drawing pictures and giggling with each other from six feet away. Then Henry had a school friend and his family stop by for a front yard visit. And then on our evening bike ride, Annie found one of her school friends. So we talked to more people in one day than we have in almost three months. How exhausting. Good thing we ate that watermelon to power us up.

kantors in quarantine - june 14

Ontario is allowing us to expand our social circles, meaning who knows what exactly. But! We are told we can hug those people in our circles. So off we went to Nanny and Grandpa's house to collect some longed-for hugs. It has been exactly three months - Grandpa's birthday on March 14 - since arms were wrapped around people. And people were ready.

kantors in quarantine - june 13

This is our quarantine song. Joe's been practicing this since March. Postcards from Far Away, by Coldplay, it's good, heartbreaking song. Just like the rest of the world, we've had to cancel a lot this summer, including a cottage trip with Grammie and Papa and our holiday to Saskatchewan to meet baby Walker and spend time in the prairie air. Right now all seems so far away.

kantors in quarantine - june 12

Henry was treated with a friend visit today. They sat in chairs and chatted and ate ice cream. And it was cute.

kantors in quarantine - june 11

Leo thinks no one knows that he's in there eating snacks.

kantors in quarantine - june 10

Present state of my living and dining rooms...

On the bright side - kids are playing together and using imaginations and having fun. Great! On the other hand - this is what my living and dining rooms have looked like for over a week.

kantors in quarantine - june 9

We have a very nice neighbour. And our very nice neighbour has a pool. And we are so grateful.